[Original] The Alchemist of Rozarre [Novel-Length] [Complete!]

Chapter 1

Cerise de Vernase noticed some strange affliction overcome her beloved sister, Anna. She simply guessed it was the season, as it was a very rainy and stormy month and it could've been illness born from the cold weather, but when it happened at midnight, her sister was in a kind coma. She still breathed, she still had a healthy color to her skin, and she willingly would take food and drink when offered to her, but her eyes remained close and she dozed in a dreamless slumber, unresponsive to anything else around her and remaining tucked under the comforting worth of sheets and comforters in the cozy bed next to the fire hearth. Cerise clasped her sister's hand—it was surprisingly warm, though her Anna's fingers remained lax and didn't twitch or curl in response to this sisterly affection.

The doctor was confounded by this. Anna was perfectly healthy in every single way—except for the fact that she remained asleep and wouldn't wake up no matter what happened. Cerise ventured to guess that this wasn't a very common phenomenon, though she guessed that the closest it would be is a coma. That's what the doctor diagnosed it as, though his brow was furrowed and his spectacles belied a troubled expression indeed.

Cerise stayed in the house, putting more logs into the fire and then holding her sister's hand, praying to God that her sister would wake up from her unusual slumber. No matter how much Cerise called her sister's name or pleaded to God, however, her sister still didn't wake up. If the doctor didn't know what happened to her, then she would have to find her answer somewhere, wouldn't she? The trip to the Kingdom was a long and perilous road, though Cerise was sure someone in the Kingdom could help her with her problem. The wise King would probably know. Yes, that is it. Consult the King with her plight, and maybe he would use his resources and wisdom to help save her sister! That's what Cerise surely thought, as she made her way out into the night and brought a white horse from the stables and started to ride into the forest where the wind snatched and snarled and furled her cloak behind her.

Staccato flashes of lightning flickered in the distance. Her horse whinnied in fear, though Cerise held firm with the reins. Lightning struck the tree ahead on her journey, causing it to tumble and fall down with a thunderous crash on the ground. Thunder itself blasted the charged air, and Cerise could feel a certain static crawl along the fine hairs of her skin which prickled with gooseflesh as the close encounter with the tree could've fallen on her and her horse.

"Easy girl, easy," Cerise said while she comforted the white horse, which trampled it hooves deep into the earth and refused to move further. The lightning and thunder scared the horse, obviously, though there was something else that would prick Cerise's attention. Glowing yellow eyes surrounded them in the forest, and then wolves prowled among them.

"Go!" Cerise shouted, slapping the horse on her rear and that motion along with fear of the wolves spurred the horse into running. They sped through dark twisting passageways with gnarled tree roots threatening to trip them up in their mad dash towards teh kingdom, with wolves snapping at their heels. One of the wolves leaps and attempted to grasp its jaws around the horse's flank. The horse squealed in pain, though adrenaline caused it to run faster and faster until they made their way into the kingdom. The wolves stopped their mad pursuit, retreating into the darkness, though her horse was wounded. She needed to find a stablemaster who could help tend to this horse, but more importantly, she needed to find information on the illness that befell her sister!

Leading the horse to a stable, Cerise promised to come back to it later. She then made her way up the twirling path to the castle, though knights stopped her from entering.

"Halt!" one of them called out, peering down at Cerise through the slatted visor of his helm. "Identity yourself!"

"I am...I am Cerise de Vernase," Cerise said in a breathless rush of words, and suddenly tears came unbidden down her cheeks as the stress of everything that happened came to her. "My sister has fallen ill with a mysterious illness and I was hoping that the King—"